In a new article from the Washington Post about President Donald Trump's Twitter habits running counter to his spokespeople, a former adviser to the president mused that he views the social network as his own publication.
“The president has always said that Twitter is like owning his own newspaper, except he can’t lose money,” former Trump adviser Sam Nunberg told the Post. “He’ll listen to your advice. He’ll listen to suggestions. But the president is not going to be handled.”
The Post article went on to quote the president's own tweets, which have been called presidential proclamations, that claim mainstream media are attempting to take him off of social media because it allows him to "get the honest and unfiltered message out."
As a case study, the Post juxtaposed the president's tweets about Qatar earlier in the day to the statements made by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who said "the U.S. still wants to see this issue de-escalated and resolved immediately" even as the president appeared to fan the flames of the conflict between Qatar and its' Arab neighbors.
The Post noted that "a spokesman for the Defense Department voiced support and appreciation to Qatar for allowing U.S. troops to remain on a base in their country."
“It’s not just undercutting Secretary Tillerson, it’s putting at potential risk the relationship between the Defense Department and Qatar, something that is extremely important to the Department of Defense,” John B. Bellinger, a former George W. Bush-era adviser, told the Post. “He has repeatedly necessitated having both secretaries Mattis and Tillerson to quietly reassure allies that the president doesn’t really mean these things.”
Read the entire report about the president's impetuous Twitter habit and the damage it does via the Post.